Durfee boys basketball upsets unbeaten Taunton in Thomas "Skip" Karam Holiday tournament

FALL RIVER — Jevon Holley was forced to miss the last two games after being placed under the COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

On Tuesday night, the Durfee senior star returned in a big way against non-league opponent Taunton High.

Despite a slow start, Holley erupted for 17 points in the second half to lead the Hilltoppers to a stunning, 77-72, upset win over the unbeaten Tigers in the championship game of the annual Thomas “Skip” Karam holiday tournament before a large crowd inside the Luke Urban fieldhouse.

"In the first half, I was in my head too much and I did not play well," Holley said. "The team ended the first half on a 14-1 run. Coming out after halftime, I knew I had to play better and do what I got to do."

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Holley finished with a team-high 22 points for Durfee (3-1) and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Senior Jaden Lewis chipped in with 14 points and Jeyden Espinal finished with 13 points in the win.

"Jevon was huge in the second half," Hilltopper head coach Joe DaCruz said. "I always tell him to stay aggressive. We stress mental toughness, something I've been doing since Day 1. This is the mindset we want to have."

Holley was held to a point in the first quarter and finished with five points in the first half.

He became the focal point early in the second half, scoring 11 points in the third quarter as Durfee took its first lead of the contest at 55-48.

Lewis was certainly happy to see his teammate back on the floor.

"It was big to have him back," Lewis said.

The loss ruined a herculean performance by senior Faisal Mass, who scored a career-high 25 points for Taunton (3-1). Senior Trent Santos scored a game-high 26 points but just 10 in the second half after scoring 16 in the first 16 minutes. Troy Santos added 14 points.

"We just started taking bad shots and not playing defense," Mass said. "We forgot about what we do best. This is definitely a wakeup call for us. This won't happen again."

The Tigers led after one quarter (22-13) and took a slim 34-31 lead into halftime. Taunton led as much as 17 points in the second quarter. However the Tigers went ice cold late in the second quarter, enabling Durfee to climb back in before halftime.

"We went hero ball all of a sudden," Taunton head coach Charlie Dacey said. "Maybe this is the game they understand that what we've been talking about is right."

Espinal was big for the Hilltoppers in the second half along with backup center Ariel Pereira. Espinal netted nine points in the first half and Pereira finished in double digits in reebounds.

Durfee's swarming defense clearly unravel the Tigers in the third quarter as the Hilltoppers outscored Taunton 24-14.

"The difference was defense wins games," Lewis said. "We got energy from [our] defense and with our crowd tonight."

The Hilltoppers opened up their biggest lead of the game at 66-56 with 4:24 to play before the Tigers attempted a furious comeback late, drawing to within four, 73-69. But a basket by Alexis Montilla (nine points) and a pair of free-throws by Holley iced the game for Durfee.

On a night that belong to former Hilltopper great Thomas "Skip" Karam, the Hilltoppers made the Massachusetts Hall of Fame coach in attendence proud.

"It feels good knowing we can beat teams like this," Holley said. "Moving forward, we have to have that playoff mindset. Senior season ... trying to go big or go home."

A legend is honored

Thomas "Skip" Karam endured a remarkable career on the Durfee bench. The longtime head coach amassed 659 wins over a span of 36 years. He had an 85 winning percentage.

There was a re-dedication of the basketball court and rename the Thomas “Skip” Karam Basketball Court.

Prior to Tuesday's matchup with Taunton, the Durfee great spoke about his memories and had this to say.

"Durfee holds a special place in my heart," he said.

Both teams went over to see Karam and fist pump him before the start of the game.

Dacey said Karam is a coaching legend.

"I have a ton of respect for that man for what he's done over the years," he said.

DaCruz said it was high level inside the building all night.

"It was a great atmosphere for Coach Karam tonight," he said. "I think the moment may have been a little bit too much for our guys. This was the biggest crowd we've had had in two years. I just told the guys to stay the course."

Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Chezsports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Durfee boys basketball teams stuns unbeaten Taunton in holiday tourney